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An Italian politician of Nigerian origin who has vowed to stop the “invasion” of African migrants across the Mediterranean has been condemned by Mario Balotelli.

Toni Iwobi is a member of the staunchly anti-immigrant League party and this week became the first black senator in the country’s history following Sunday’s general election.

The League’s leader, Matteo Salvini, is vying to become the next prime minister and has pledged to expel half a million migrants.

Mr Iwobi, 62, said there is no contradiction in his membership of the Right-wing League, arguing that the hundreds of thousands of migrants who have crossed from Libya to Italy in the last four years are unauthorized arrivals.

By contrast, he came to Italy legally on a student visa in 1976 and eventually obtained citizenship.

“There are two types of immigration – that which is legal, which we welcome, and that which is clandestine and a crime. Why allow in all these poor people if you cannot guarantee their future?” he said.

He swiftly came under fire, however, from Italy’s best-known black sportsman – footballer Mario Balotelli, who has played for Manchester City and Liverpool.

“Maybe I’m blind or maybe they haven’t told him yet that he’s black. This is shameful,” the striker, who is the son of Ghanaian immigrants, wrote on social media.

Mr Iwobi brushed off the insult, telling a radio station: “I’d rather ignore him and concentrate on my constituency and new job.”

After moving to Italy, he married an Italian woman, built up an IT business and went into politics in the 1990s as a supporter of what was then called the Northern League.

During the election campaign, he was appointed the party’s spokesman on immigration and security and campaigned under the slogan “Stop the invasion”.

He comes from Bergamo in northern Italy, the heartland of The League.

Around 600,000 migrants have arrived in Italy in the past four yearsCredit:
AP

Concern over immigrants and security propelled the party to 17% of the vote – quadruple what it won at the last general election in 2013.

It is now the senior partner in a centre-Right coalition which won 37 per cent of the vote, against the 32 per cent won by the anti-establishment Five Star Movement.

“Friends, it is with great emotion that I can inform you that I have been elected a senator. After 25 years of battles within the great family of The League, another great adventure is about to begin,” Mr Iwobi wrote on Facebook.

The fifth of 11 siblings, he studied information technology in the United States and then moved to Italy. He has relatives in the UK.

“Is there some sort of written codex that prohibits a person of colour from joining The League? No, it doesn’t exist.

“Whoever says The League is racist is totally mistaken – I’ve always been treated with great respect,” he said.

Concern over immigration became one of the key themes of the Italian election campaignCredit:
Reuters

Italy remained in political deadlock on Wednesday, with both the centre-Right coalition and Five Star maintaining that they have the democratic mandate to form the next government.

Silvio Berlusconi, who was eclipsed as leader of the alliance by the unexpectedly strong performance of The League, told Corriere della Sera: “I’m convinced that Italy needs a government as soon as possible and this government can only be an expression of the coalition that prevailed in the election. We are that coalition.”

Mr Iwobi is originally from Nigeria but moved to Italy in the 1970sCredit:
Facebook

Mr Berlusconi said his party, Forza Italia, would throw its support behind The League.

The 81-year-old former prime minister, whose party sank to just 14% of the vote, acknowledged that he was no longer top dog in the coalition.

“In full respect of our agreements, we will now loyally support attempts by Salvini to form a government," he told Corriere della Sera.

But Luigi Di Maio, the head of Five Star, insisted that his party’s sweeping victory gave him the right to be the next prime minister.